2025 Europe – Day 2 – Delft

We woke up to another beautiful day here in Rotterdam with a warm 29 degree day forecast. Today’s plan was to head to Delft, another city close by with a rich history. We opted to catch a bus which was a pleasant drive through the suburbs that artfully dodged the motorways, taking us on a road less travelled. There is lots of high-density living here but many communities seem to have parks close-by. With the normal climate here being temperate, a park with a lake and some weeping willows is the standard, providing a very European feel.

The bus stop is very close to the current Royal Delft pottery factory, whose main product is the blue and white painted vases and plates. In the mid-17th century there were more than 30 pottery factories in Delft and the surrounding area, but now this was the only one left. These factories pioneered techniques learned from Italian potters. The situation changed when Chinese porcelain was found among plundered Portuguese cargoes. The porcelain with blue decors on a white background was very popular and Dutch potters made something similar. Political challenges in China reduced product exports and the Delft pottery filled that gap. This museum captures the history well and then provides an opportunity to see the potters and painters in action. One tip is to arrive early, and you’ll have the place to yourself.

We walked along the main canals into Delft, a charming city of about 100,000 people, 20% of which are university students. We kicked off our exploration with a canal boat tour that went for an hour. Our boat was driven by a young fellow who has just graduated from the university as an engineer, so probably won’t be tour guiding for much longer. However, after 7 years of canal boating he had many local stories to tell. Deflt has a rich history of industry and was once the weapons store for all of Holland. In 1654 there was a catastrophic explosion of a gunpowder factory that leveled a quarter of the town and killed many inhabitants.

After the canal cruise, we had some lunch, which was more like bar snacks and beers, than our normal standard. Having heard that there were once 200 brewers in Delft, we felt we should align with that history, even though there are only 2 left now. Unfortunately, the water in the Delft canals became too dirty to brew beer, as the population grew.

We started our afternoon at Nieuwe Kerk (New Church), constructed between 1381 and 1496. It contains the Dutch royal family’s burial vault which, between funerals, is sealed with a 5,000 kg (11,020 lb) cover stone. I climbed the tower, which was a tight spiral staircase of around 500 steps at a guess and the views were amazing, but it was hard work.

From there we went to the Oude Kerk (Old Church), constructed between 1246 and 1350. On the way we stopped at the Vermeer Museum, Delft’s most famous artist and a personal favourite. His most famous work is “The Girl with the Pearl Earring”, which also features in some modern interpretations which were really interesting. As you may note from the photo below the Oude Kerk’s main spire is leaning quite badly. It is apparently stabalised, but they don’t dare ring the 9,000 pound bell contained within.

We decided we’d take the train back to Rotterdam, so walked along the canals one more time to the Delft train station, which is as modern a train station as you will see. I think is was about 15-20 minutes back to Rotterdam. I do have to say that trains here are so quiet and so fast, but they do cost more that 50 cents, so I guess one could argue that you get what you pay for.

Until tomorrow!